Abstract

Moraxella sp. isolated from soil grows anaerobically on benzoate by nitrate respiration; nitrate or nitrite are obligatory electron acceptors, being reduced to molecular N2 during the catabolism of the substrate. This bacterium also grows aerobically on benzoate. 2. Aerobically, benzoate is metabolized by ortho cleavage of catechol followed by the β-oxoadipate pathway. 3. Cells of Moraxella grown anaerobically on benzoate are devoid of ortho and meta cleavage enzymes; cyclohexanecarboxylate and 2-hydroxycyclohexanecarboxylate were detected in the anaerobic culture fluid. 4. [ring-U-14C]Benzoate, incubated anaerobically with cells in nitrate-phosphate buffer, gave rise to labelled 2-hydroxycyclohexanecarboxylate and adipate. When [carboxy-14C]benzoate was used, 2-hydroxycyclohexanecarboxylate was radioactive but the adipate was not labelled. A decarboxylation reaction intervenes at some stage between these two metabolites. 5. The anaerobic metabolism of benzoate by Moraxella sp. through nitrate respiration takes place by the reductive pathway (Dutton & Evans, 1969). Hydrogenation of the aromatic ring probably occurs via cyclohexa-2,5-dienecarboxylate and cyclohex-1-enecarboxylate to give cyclohexanecarboxylate. The biochemistry of this reductive process remains unclear. 6. CoA thiol esterification of cyclohexanecarboxylate followed by β-oxidation via the unsaturated and hydroxy esters, would afford 2-oxocyclohexanecarboxylate. Subsequent events in the Moraxella culture differ from those occurring with Rhodopseudomonas palustris; decarboxylation precedes hydrolytic cleavage of the alicyclic ring to produce adipate in the former, whereas in the latter the keto ester undergoes direct hydrolytic fission to pimelate.